i recently started poking around a 1968 oldsmobile delmont 88 that's been sitting unused for about 10 years.
with a jump from a truck battery, i can get the engine to turn over well without the spark plugs. this is an improvement from the original starting condition, before dropping some oil into each cylinder chamber, suggesting there may have been some corrosion within the chambers.
with the plugs in, tho, the engine will only turn over a few times, then cease.
my guess is that the battery i'm jumping from can't give enough amps to the starter. this explanation is consistent with starter performance under the two different conditions, assuming that with the plugs in the cylinders would encounter more resistance on the upstrokes.
but i'd like to check on other possible sources for the problem as well.
so i appeal to the group: what else should i check? could the starter or some other related part degraded over the period of disuse?
many thanks, andreas